


By the sea

by DaZeli



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 19:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6389965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaZeli/pseuds/DaZeli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek is a young merman who enjoys watching people at the surface and he has taken a liking to a boy who work on a lobster boat every day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Head in the currents

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out way longer than it was meant to be, but I got very invested in this one, so that explains it.
> 
> Again thanks to [sadquebecois](saquebecois.tumblr.com) for betaing this! Hope you guys enjoy (:

Derek had always been curious about the land-dwellers. He heard so many stories about them, but they were old; just like mermaid society, human society had changed since that story of the mermaid of the Northern Sea who went to live on land with a prince. Derek had always loved this story, ever since he was a merkid, he had always dreamed of finding his land-dwelling prince and find his happily ever after.

Derek wasn’t really a prince — he was noble, for sure, but mermaids didn’t really have rulers. They lived in some sort of aristocratic oligarchy, and he was part of that oligarchy. It was a societal organization they had inherited from their very ancient land-dwelling ancestor who had become the first merperson when their island sank to the bottom of the sea. To this day, many mermaids went on a pilgrimage to this city.

The thing with the aristocratic oligarchy was that everything was hereditary, so all Derek had to do was go to school and wait for his mother to retire from her job to take her place, which she inherited from one of her parents. Genders didn’t really exist in mermaid society. They were born with both kinds of reproductive organs — all they had to do is choose which kind to use when mating — but mermaids born with only one set were not uncommon either. Mermaids did have a dominant gene even if they had both sets of reproductive organs, so some looked more female and some more male.

Unlike what humans thought, mermaids didn’t have fish tails. They had fins on their feet but they didn’t have visible genitals. Everything was hidden under their scales, and since they weren’t mammals, mermaids with dominant female genes did not have mammaries — the only things that gave them away were their higher-pitched voice and their more feminine body shape, probably inherited from their human ancestors.

In Derek’s case, he was born with dominant male genes and both sets of organs, and he always thought it was weird how different male and female humans were. When he wasn’t at school learning how to take his place in the oligarchy, he liked to swim closer to the surface and observe humans on the beach. His favorite place was near the pier and he liked to follow boats.

There was one specific human he like to watch a lot.

He had hair of the brightest color Derek had ever seen. He also had colorful spots on his face; beautiful, bright piercing eyes; and he spent most of his days catching lobsters on a boat. He looked like a prince, and Derek wouldn’t have any other human snatch him away from the sea.

Except that Derek didn’t really want to leave the sea; he like his life with his mothers, and he didn’t mind his future job. Really, his only reason to go on land would be to meet that one human that he had the biggest crush on.

But he wouldn’t — he knew better than that. Besides, mermaids mated for life, and he didn’t want to make a mistake going for his human crush. There were plenty of other mermaids in the sea, he’d find his mate eventually. In the meantime, he could keep watching the human with bright hair catch lobsters.

 _They must really like lobsters_ , Derek thought as he ate at the diner table with his mothers.

“Who really likes lobster?” one of his moms asked him.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to say it out loud. It’s nothing,” he replied, blushing slightly.

“You know, you’ve had your head in the currents for a while. Is there something you want to tell us, Derek?” his other mom asked.

“No, there’s nothing going on,” Derek replied.

“Honey, I think our baby is love struck.”

“Ohhh, Derek, you have a crush? Who’s the lucky mer?”

“Nobody, it’s nothing. There won’t be anything happening between me and them, so don’t get your hopes up,” Derek replied.

“It’s not like you to give up like this — you were always so excited by the prospect of finding your mate,” his mother told him.

“Really, it’s nothing. Just let it go, please,” Derek said before leaving the table and their house.

He swam up to the pier to watch the sunset. The colors of it reminded him of the human prince. As he was watching, he heard someone walk on the planks. Derek quickly turned around and saw the bright haired boy on the pier. He panicked a little and dove back under the water. The boy sat down on the pier and looked at the sunset, but Derek couldn’t take his eyes away from the boy.

And without noticing, he had swam all the way to the pier and was right below the surface, looking at the boy. He wanted to touch so badly, and without knowing it, he was reaching out of the water. He only realized what he was doing when the boy grabbed his arm and pulled him half out of the water. Derek snapped back to reality when the boy let out a small scream and let go of Derek’s arm, dropping him back into the water. Derek could still feel the warm spot where the boy had grabbed him, and he quickly got back out of the water. The boy was standing up again, looking at him in shock.

“Sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean to,” he said to him.

“Who are you? And what are you?” the boy asked

“My name is Derek, and I am a merman. It’s weird how you guys don’t know about mermaids, but we know about humans,” Derek said.

“If you’re a merman, where’s your tail?” The boy asked him.

“We don’t have tails, it wouldn’t be very useful anyways, we have legs with webbed feet,” Derek said, getting out of the water and sitting on the pier to show him.

“Wow,” the boy said, observing him with his piercing eyes. “So that means you can walk on land?”

“Yeah, but we’re pretty clumsy because of our fins. We do live in air alcoves underwater, so you know — we kinda need them to walk around down there too,” Derek explained.

“What are you doing so close to land?” The boy asked, looking mesmerized by him.

“I was watching the sunset,” Derek replied, not completely lying.

“So was I,” the boy replied, sitting down next to Derek.

They both looked at the sun as it was finished setting. They watched in silence until the sky had gone dark.

“Well, I have to go home now, and I’m sure you do too. See you some other time I suppose,” the boy told him.

“Wait, what’s your name?” Derek asked before the boy left.

“My name’s William,” he replied.

“Goodnight, William,” Derek told him.

“Goodnight, Derek,” William replied.

At that, Derek dove back into the water and went home with a warm bubbly feeling in his chest. He had spoken to his crush — his name was William, and he was very nice and curious about mermaids and didn’t run away. Derek simply couldn’t stop thinking about him and how warm he felt around him.

-*-

It had been a very hard day at work but a good one. William had been able to catch a lot of lobsters, so he got a slight raise for his next paycheck. He had been working on his uncle’s boat for years now. He had graduated last spring, but he wasn’t able to find another job, so he decided to keep working for his uncle until he found someone to hire him.

That evening, he decided to go watch the sunset by the pier and to take a break from his buzzing home. The pier was quiet — nobody was around — so he sat down and looked at the sky. Even if he was alone, he couldn’t help but feel observed. When he saw something rising from the water, he had the reflex to grab it and pull it out.

He wasn’t expecting to come face to face with… a humanoid fish?

He screamed and let go of the arm, letting the thing fall back into the water. As it turned out, the thing was a merman and he could speak.

When he got out of the water, William took the time to look at him; he had the pattern of a lion fish, some fins with said pattern. His ears also had fins, and so did his feet, which Will was surprised about, because he had always thought mermaids had tails. The merman also had tattoos. Lots of tattoos; they started on his upper arms and covered his chest; he also had smaller ones around his calves and his lower arms. His hair looked like it was made of coral, and he had both gills and a nose.

William started talking to the merman, asking him a few questions. Apparently his name was Derek, which sounded pretty human for a merman’s name. They watched the sunset together until Will had to leave. Before he left, Derek asked his name; with his curiosity and surprise, he had forgotten to introduce himself, so he did, and Derek wished him goodnight. He wished a goodnight to Derek as well before he left.

He went home, still a little shocked from this encounter, but Derek was nice, and Will was very curious about the mermaid world. Hopefully they would meet again.

The next day he went to work and did as usual; he caught lots of lobster again, so it was a good day. He decided to go watch the sunset again and was interrupted in his contemplation by a lobster being thrown on the pier. Then, Derek appeared next to him.

“I got you this,” he said, pointing at the lobster.

“Why?” Will asked, confused.

“Because you seem to like lobsters a lot — you keep fishing them,” Derek replied.

Will started laughing, to the Derek’s confusion. Once he was done laughing, Will released the lobster into the water.

“Lobster fishing is my job. I get paid to fish them; I don’t do that because I like to,” he explained.

“Oh — why do you do it then?” Derek asked.

“Because I need money to be able to live,” Will said.

“Why?” Derek asked again.

“It’s very complicated, but basically, I need money to pay my rent, buy food, and get other stuff I need, and I get that money by lobstering.” he explained.

“So your life depends on an inanimate object?” Derek said.

“Yeah, sort of. Don’t you have currency in your world?” Will asked.

“No, we usually just trade services; my parents’ jobs are to make sure everything is in order and to make laws to make sure everything stays that way. In exchange, people who harvest food give part of their harvest to us. We divide it equally, because without us, they wouldn’t be able to farm at all, but without them, we wouldn’t be able to eat,” Derek explains.

“Ah, so you’re a noble?” Wil asked again.

“Yeah, that’s why I have these tattoos. They show your status, so others know whose child I am and how they should treat me. The more tattoos, the more important you are to society.”

“Do you have a king?”

“No, people like my parents are in charge. We don’t want to give the power to one person; we don’t want to possibly end up with a tyrant,” Derek replied.

“I see, well here it’s sort of like that too, except it’s everyone for themselves. The more money you make, the more people respect you, and you’re considered more important than those below you. I’m sort of at the bottom of that pyramid; there are still people below me, but I’m pretty close to the bottom,” Will said.

“No way! I thought you were a prince!” Derek said, surprised.

“Far from it. Princes don’t spend their lives working on a fishing boat. What made you think I was a prince?”

“You have bright hair and marks all over; you stand out from the other humans I’ve seen, so I assumed you must’ve been a land-dwelling prince who liked lobster fishing a lot,” Derek told him.

“I look like the opposite of prince, believe me,” Will said, turning his gaze away from Derek’s.

“But you’re so pretty… Your hair reminds me of the sunset, and your eyes of the sun. These little spots on you are like millions of tattoos. Everything about you is so beautiful, there’s no way you’re not a prince,” Derek said.

Will turned his head and looked into Derek’s moss green eyes. Nobody had ever told him something like that, and Will felt nice and warm inside. Derek was so nice to him, and even if he was a noble, Will didn’t feel intimidated by him at all. He felt at ease around him, and he wanted that to last.

“Sorry if I disappointed you, but I’m not,” Will said.

“I’m not disappointed. Besides, if you’re not a prince here, that doesn’t mean you’re not a prince down there,” Derek said.

“It doesn’t really matter, because I don’t live down there. Up here I have to work, and that’s what I’m trying my best to do,” Will said.

“Then I’ll help you,” Derek told him.

“How?”

“I can put more lobsters in your pots, I’ve been doing that already,” Derek said.

“That could help a lot actually, the more I catch, the bigger my bonus is, and I could even get a raise… But don’t you have things to do?” he asked.

“I do have school, but after that I’m free to come help you,” Derek replied.

“Then if you want to help, just help me catch more lobsters,” Will shrugged.

“Nice.” Derek smiled.

They kept talking for a while before they both went their own way. Will felt happy. Derek made his life a little better, and it made Will glad they had met. Besides, even if he was half-fish, Derek was very good looking. Will thought that if he had been human, he would’ve probably tried something with him. At the same time, he had the thought that if Derek had been human, he would’ve been one of those rich people, and so they would’ve never meet. So he changed his mind, and he wished he had been a mermaid, even if he didn’t know how those things worked for them.

He didn’t really have anything to lose here, so being a mermaid sounded quite nice; especially if it meant he could be with Derek more often.

Over the next few days, Will had great days at work and got praised for it. He thanked Derek every day, and Derek told him it was no problem. The only problem was that Derek would often get caught in the nets, and Will had to distract the others so he could help him out. He didn’t mind — it just didn’t look safe for Derek to do that sort of thing for him. They kept doing it for a month, until Will had to distract the others too many times in one day to free Derek from the nets.

“You know, maybe we should stop that whole thing. I don’t want you to put yourself in danger,” Will told him that night.

“It’s fine, I like to do that. Besides, I don’t have to worry when I have you around,” Derek said.

“Yeah, but I can’t always cover you. My coworkers are starting to get suspicious whenever I do it. I don’t know how long I can pull it off,” he said.

“Oh, okay. I’ll stop,” Derek said, a little sad about not being able to help him anymore.

“It’s fine, we can start again at some point. And that doesn’t mean we can’t talk anymore,” Will tells him.

Derek smiled, and they talked as usual, exchanging information about their worlds. It was sort of their routine now — after work, Will would hang out by the pier and talk with Derek until the sun was gone from the sky. It was very nice and definitely the best part of his day. Derek just had something about him that made Will happy.

He wished they could spend more time together and get to know each other more.


	2. Stuck underwater

Over the past month, Derek had grown closer to Will and would try to spend as much time with him as possible, even skipping some classes, even if he was so close to finishing his studies to take over his moms. His mothers noticed, of course, and they let a few weeks pass before they confronted him.

“Derek, honey, why do you keep missing classes? You know it’s important for you to learn how to do your future job so you can take over…” one of his moms told him.

“I know, it’s just that I have other stuff,” he replied to her.

“And what is that other stuff? Why is it so important?” his other mother asked him.

“Because soon lobster season will be over,” Derek said, a little sad about the thought.

“And what does that have to do with anything?”

“I won’t be able to see him until next season…” Derek replied.

“Ohhh, it’s your crush, isn’t it? Why wouldn’t you be able to see him outside of lobster season?”

“Because he’s human and catching lobsters is his job, but once the season is over, he’ll go back to another job in the city… Far away from the shore,” Derek replied.

“Oh honey… Does he even know you exist?”

“Yeah, we talk every day at the pier. He’s really nice — his name is William and his hair looks like the sunset and his eyes like they’re made of amber and he has really pretty markings all over his body — he told me they were called freckles — and he’s just so — ” Derek said.

“No need for the details darling,” his mother interrupted him. “Don’t get in too deep, otherwise you won’t be able to get out.”

“Love, I think he’s already in pretty deep. Our baby found his prince and won't have anyone else unless he turns him down,” his other mom said.

“Please don’t turn human on us, we need you down here,” his mother told him.

“What if I bring him down here?” Derek asked.

“Honey, you know humans don’t breathe underwater,” she replied.

“I know, but maybe he could turn into a merman,” Derek said.

“Well, maybe. You’d have to convince him to leave his own family behind for that.”

“You’re right, but he is worth giving it a try,” Derek smiled before going to his room.

Derek didn’t really know if Will would leave everything for him because he hadn’t had the guts to confess yet, but he would soon. He had to, otherwise he would lose Will until the next season, and Derek was graduating soon and coming of age to finding his life mate. He didn’t want anyone but Will to share his life until he died.

On the last day of lobster season, he decided he would confess to Will, but as the season was drawing to a close, Derek felt more and more nervous; what if Will didn’t like him back? What if he did, though; what would they do? How would he convince Will to become a merman with him? How would they turn him into a merman if Will agreed?

Derek was starting to doubt anything could ever happen between him and Will; he knew life could be incredibly cruel, and this was probably his proof. Why couldn’t humans and mermaids be together? That would solve so many problems. He knew he could become human, but Derek needed to stay in the ocean. He knew so little about the human world, and from what William had told him, he wondered how he would survive up there. So it had to be the other way around.

But how?

Derek spent most of his time at home thinking about this, and everytime he talked to Will, he couldn’t help himself but to think about what he would look like as a merman and how much he wanted to capture his lips with his, touch him and feel his hot skin against his scales. He was in love, he knew that, but this love was so complicated he wondered what he had done to deserve it; he had found the person he wanted to share his life with, but he was inaccessible, as if fate was mocking him.

On the last day of the season, Derek knew he had to make his move. When he went to meet Will at the pier, he had prepared his speech. He was ready to be rejected and to bring up the question if he wasn’t. Will greeted him, and they sat together on the pier and watched the sunset.

“I guess this is the last day I’ll see you until next year,” Will said, sounding a little sad.

“Yeah…” Derek said.

“Tonight I’ll be celebrating on the boat with some people, so you can hang around if you want,” Will said.

He didn’t have the courage to make a move, so when Will left, he dove back into the ocean. About an hour later, Derek spotted a boat on the sea, alone. He could see Will on it, talking with people and drinking and laughing and Derek looked at them; he recognised some of them — they worked with William on the boat.

He kept watching William, feeling regrets build up inside of him, but after a while, the sea started getting choppy. Soon enough, rain and wind joined, and the party was over. Derek watched as the boat swung among the waves, and as the storm got bigger, Derek got worried.

Eventually the inevitable happened, and someone fell overboard. It was William.

Derek quickly went to grab him and pulled him out of the water so he could breathe, but he couldn’t see the shore or the boat and he didn’t know any other place except, well, his home. William was having trouble breathing because of the waves, and Derek had to do something.

“Breath into my mouth. We’re going down,” Derek said, pressing his mouth to Will’s. Will started breathing, and Derek used his gills as he dove below the surface and dragged Will down with him. They reached town, and something happened to Will.

His breathing was getting shallower, and Derek could feel him become a dead weight. When he reached his home, which, like every other home, was an air alcove, Will had fainted. Luckily, there was air now, so Derek didn’t have to fear about Will drowning. He still needed care, so Derek immediately called for his mothers.

“Mom! Mama!” he exclaimed, catching his breath — he’d swum pretty fast while trying to keep Will alive.

His mothers rushed in after hearing the commotion and saw their son on his knees next to a human.

“Goodness! Derek! What is a human doing here!?” one of his moms asked.

“He was on the boat, and then there was a storm. He fell, but I couldn’t find the boat or the shore so I brought him here. I wasn’t fast enough, so he fainted. Please help!” Derek explained to them.

One of his moms checked if Will was breathing while the other ran off to prepare something else.

“Alright, help us carry him to your room. He’s still alive, and he needs to rest,” his other mom told him.

He carried Will to his bedroom and lay him down on the bed that was made of some gelatin, which was incredibly comfortable. The sad thing was, they didn’t have any covers to warm him up, and Will was still wet. The temperature wasn’t very warm so deep under water.

“You need to undress him. I’ll go find something to warm him up, but we need to talk after that,” her mom said.

Derek nodded and started undressing Will, and he wasn’t expecting to learn human anatomy in the process. Apparently humans didn’t have hidden genitals, which explained why they wore clothes. Once Will was naked, he waited for his mom to come back, and apparently she had found some sort of warm gelatin-like cover. She covered Will and went back to the kitchen with Derek.

“Is it him?” she asked him.

“Yeah. I was so worried; I was afraid he would die by the time I found the shore or the boat, so I brought him here. I’m sorry,” Derek said.

“Oh, honey. It’s fine, but you know he shouldn’t be here. Everyone up there must be searching for him or think he’s dead,” his other mom said.

“I know. Hopefully he’ll wake up soon,” Derek said.

“Alright, grab something to eat, and go watch over your boy,” she said.

Derek agreed and took something to eat before heading to his room. Will was still unconscious, but he didn’t look like he was on the verge of death either. He watched closely over Will, and when his eyes fluttered open and he coughed, Derek felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

“Derek…?” Will asked, sounding half-there still.

“Yeah, I’m here. You’re safe now,” Derek said, holding Will’s hand, not thinking twice about it. It was warm, and Derek was so relieved, because it had been colder a moment ago.

“Thank you,” Will said to him, squeezing his hand a little.

“Sleep. We’ll figure out what we’ll do tomorrow. You need to rest,” Derek said, sitting on the bed.

“Stay…?” Will asked softly.

“Yeah, I’ll stay,” Derek replied.

Will smiled, and Derek slipped under the gelatin cover and was surprised when Will cuddled close to him. Derek didn’t move and only passed a protective arm around him, going to sleep with the warm weight of Will pressed against him.

-*-

The next morning, Derek woke up before Will, so he took the time to enjoy their proximity. He caressed Will’s hair a little before getting up and going to the kitchen, where he was greeted by his mothers.

“How is he?” one of them asked.

“He’s fine — still sleeping,” Derek replied, sitting down at the table.

“So, what are you planning to do now?”

“I don’t know… I have to bring him back to the surface, somehow,” Derek said.

“I don’t think that’s actually possible, just the fact that he survived on the way here is a miracle,” his mom told him.

“I’ll ask him if he has an idea — If anything, I could ask him if he wants to become a merman,” Derek said.

“Alright then.”

With that, he ate his breakfast and went back to his room. Will was still asleep, but he had to wake up, so Derek sat down on the bed and caressed Will’s hair. It was so soft and silky, he had never touched anything like it. When Will woke up, Derek smiled down at him, glad he was alright.

“Slept well?” He asked him.

“Yeah. Thanks, for saving me,” Will replied, slowly getting up.

“Well, about that…” Derek started.

“What is it?”

“Well, I brought you down here, but you probably wouldn’t survive if I brought you back up. The way up is much longer,” Derek explained. “So, you’re kind of stuck here?”

“At least I’m alive, I guess. Does that mean I have to live here? Because I’m not sure about how I would get around,” Will said.

“Well, I don’t really know, but I’ll make sure we find some solution,” Derek told him, taking his hand.

“How about some breakfast?” he asked him.

“Sure, breakfast sounds nice,” Will agreed getting up.

Derek gave him back his clothes, and they went to the kitchen. Derek introduced William to his mothers, and they proved to be very nice and welcoming. Will learned what mermaid food was like, and he actually found it delicious. Afterwards, Derek showed him around their house. He knew Derek was a noble, and for someone of his status, the house was quite small, but Will didn’t mind it. It was nice and actually reminded him of his own, but with very different utilities. Will noticed there weren’t any windows, but there were fluorescent lights that changed colors as the day went on.

On his side, Derek was having a great time with Will, explaining how things worked. He thought that now would be a great time to confess, since Will was stuck there with him, so when they were alone in his bedroom, he decided to get it over with.

“Will, I have to tell you something very important,” he said, sitting on the bed with him.

“Alright. What is it, Derek?” Will asked back.

“I have to say it now; I like you a lot, Will. I have for a long time. I know it sounds impossible, but I want to share more than just sunsets with you. I want to be with you,” Derek confessed. “I have to tell you that I am very afraid that if we try to bring you back up, you will die on the way. I don’t think I could live knowing that I caused your death.”

William blushed a deep shade of red but kept holding Derek’s hand.

“I never felt as happy as I am with you, and I want to spend more time with you — believe me, I really do — but it’s impossible. I have to go to back to the surface. I can’t live here forever; I wouldn’t survive,” Will replied.

“But… you could always become a merman and live down here. You wouldn’t need money anymore, and we could be together,” Derek told him.

“Could I really do that? I didn’t think it was possible,” Will said.

“It is. Mermaids used to be humans, you know. Besides, I’d rather have you here with me than risk your life bringing you back to land,” Derek admitted.

“I have to think about it. This would be a pretty big change, and I don’t know if I’d want to leave everything I had up there…” Will explained.

“Of course. Take your time, but really consider it, please…” Derek said, sounding a little sad.

“I promise,” Will replied.

And then Will leaned in and kissed him. It made Derek feel warm all over. Will’s lips were soft and warm, and Derek melted into the kiss, deepening it until they had to break away for air.

“I have to go to class. I’ll leave you to your thinking. I should be back in a few hours,” Derek said softly to him.

“You go, and I’ll think about everything,” Will agreed.

Derek left for class, and Will was now alone in the house deep under the sea.


	3. Disappeared in the waves

When Derek confessed to him, everything suddenly made sense; the happy bubbly feeling he was getting when he was with him, the way he always looked forward to talking to him, the way he just wanted to be with him. He was in love with Derek, and apparently Derek was also in love with him. So he did the only thing he could think of and kissed him.

But everything was complicated; Derek was a merman, and he was a human — they couldn’t be together as they were at the moment. Derek knew that, and when he suggested for Will to become a merman, Will didn’t know how to reply. He didn’t know if he loved him enough to leave everything and live at the bottom of the sea. What if they broke up? Will would end up in a place he didn’t know with no family and no home.

Will told him he’d think about it. He had to check if he was ready to leave everything up there behind, and if he really wanted to do it. So he started thinking about it; he was already disowned by his parents — had been ever since he came out to them, so he wouldn’t have to worry about family. He didn’t really have close friends, so he wouldn’t be missed much. He didn’t have anything tying him to the surface except his debts, which wouldn’t be a loss if he were honest with himself.

But did he really want to do it?

He loved Derek, he really did. Will could easily picture being with him and having a future with him. If Derek ever broke up with him, he could make himself a new life down there, start from zero. That wasn’t something he could do up there.

He decided he’d do it. Fuck, maybe his life would be better under the sea, and there was no way he would miss out on that. So when Derek came back, he immediately told him his decision.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

“You mean..?” Derek asked back.

“I’ll become a merman. I have no idea how to do it, but I’ll do it. I love you, and I have nothing waiting for me at the surface. I’d rather be happy with you down here,” Will said.

Derek smiled widely at him, and he looked the happiest Will had ever seen him.

“Really? You’re really gonna do it?” Derek asked.

“Yeah,” Will smiled, going to hold Derek’s hand.

Derek hugged him close, and they exchanged a few kisses before they went to find his mothers to tell them the news. They were pleased, and after asking Will for the millionth time if he was sure, they went to gather a few things.

“Now, I know you told us you were sure, but I have to warn you; I’ve heard that for a human, becoming a mermaid is very painful. The process will take a few days or so. You will drink an elixir and go to sleep in a giant shell that will act as an egg,” she started. “The shell is alive and will sting you, like jellyfish, but the elixir should help with the pain. Your composition will change and you might feel sick too, but don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Once you’ve become a merman, the shell will open by itself,” she explained to him.

Will nodded, determined to live through it. Derek’s other mom, with help from some friends, brought in the giant shell and put it in Derek’s room. Derek gave him the elixir before giving human Will a last kiss. He drank the beverage and lay down inside the shell. Once it was closed, Will felt dizzy and sleepy, but as he was falling asleep, he felt the first sting. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t open his mouth, and his throat was aching like crazy. After a few good minutes, the pain went away and he fell asleep.

The process repeated every few hours, and it took a full week for the transformation to finish. Meanwhile, every day Derek would come home from school and spend all of his time in his room, watching over the shell, waiting for the day when it would open and give him back his boyfriend.

At the end of the week, Derek came home to see the shell starting to open. He sat down and waited for the shell to fully open, revealing William, who was now a full merman. The sight took Derek’s breath away; Will was even more beautiful as a merman than he had been as a human. His hair was brighter and reflective, his sharp amber eyes were the same, and his freckles had become very prominent spots, the same color as his hair, on his white scales. The extremities of his fins were red and looked just as silky as his hair.

He really did look like a prince.

Will was weak though, because he had spent a full week in the dark, without food or water. He was also covered in goo from the shell. Derek helped him stand up and walk to the kitchen, making him sit down. His mothers soon came back from work and saw their son and his boyfriend sitting at the table. They immediately praised Will for getting through the transformation and hurried to make him something to eat and give him something to drink.

Will didn’t say anything, but Derek knew it wasn’t because he wanted to ignore them; he was probably just tired, and his gills were probably dry and sore. He put some water on Will’s neck to wet his gills, and he saw the relief on Will’s face almost instantly. One of his moms gave them both something to eat. Once they were done, Derek led Will to the entrance of the house, which was some sort of canal that was diving back into the water in a small incline.

He made Will lay down in the water and taught him how to use his gills, so they would no longer be dry, before telling him to dive his head into the water so the rest of the goo could be washed off. Afterward, he led Will back to his bedroom and laid down in bed with him.

“Thank you,” Will said to him as they were cuddling close. His voice was hoarse and throaty from lack of use.

“It’s no problem. You did that for me, the least I can do is take care of you. You should rest now,” Derek told him.

Will smiled and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

-*-

The next few weeks were spent mostly teaching Will how to live like a mermaid, how to swim and use his various new abilities, like speaking underwater. After a month or so, Will was able to go out and about, so one of Derek’s mom started teaching him various things; like how to cook, how to buy certain ingredients and how to take care of himself and the house. The basics, really.

Because only one of Derek’s moms spent her day at work, the other mostly went out to the market to get what they needed, talked with their relatives, and took care of the house while the other was at work. She would often wait for her wife’s day to be over to go home with her, and when Derek was younger, to pick him up from school. It was common for one of the parents to be a stay-at-home spouse, and if they were both born with the same status, like Derek’s moms, one could go to work while the other stayed at home and switch every so often. All mermaids of the same status had the same education, so whether it was one or the other, it didn’t really matter which one of them went to the assembly while the other stayed at home.

Since William didn’t have a known status, or a proper mermaid education, he would probably be a stay-at-home spouse. Derek’s mom thought it was quite important for him to know how everything worked and to make some friends.

Of course, since everyone in the city knew that one of the noble kids had brought down a human — and since Will was surprisingly the only redhead — people were very interested in him. He quickly met a lot of people who asked him all sorts of question about the surface and his human life. Will was more than happy to share.

For Will, who had been working hard all his life, this new life was like a retirement and a welcome break. Doing chores was easy, and going to the market was nice and entertaining. Beside that, after school Derek would often bring him to the theater to watch plays and made him visit a few places. William was completely mesmerized by theses places; everything was so grand, open, and beautiful.

After a few months, Derek finished school and ‘graduated.’ They didn’t really have graduations — they were only certified able to take over their parents — but from then on, Derek no longer had to go to school. That meant they could spend their days together. Derek brought him to explore the sea out of town, and Will simply couldn’t take how vast everything was .

One day, Derek brought him back to the surface and immediately regretted it.

On the shore, they could see people wearing black. Flowers were floating at the surface and they could hear a man leading a funeral procession. Will’s procession. Will could see his family, who he thought hated him, a few of his friends from school he had thought they didn’t care about him anymore…

Will felt like he was going to cry and clutched at Derek’s arm, hiding his face against his shoulder.

Derek wanted nothing more than to leave the place, but he couldn’t. So they watched until the end, listened to people give their best regards and say their regrets. Everything was just so sad until one of Will’s drunk uncles started hurling insults. and that got Will all fired up because he almost swam up to the surface.

“How dare he! How fucking dare he!” Will sputtered, angry.

“Babe, calm down. You don’t want them to spot us,” Derek said, holding his hand.

“But he came to my funeral drunk and insulted me! I can’t let that pass, Derek!” Will exclaimed.

“Does he work on the boat?” Derek asked.

“Yeah, that fucking asshole. I used to work for him,” Will replied.

“Well then, I know I way we could get revenge on him,” Derek smiled.

“Do tell,” Will said.

Derek told him his plan, and it was perfect. When the procession was over and most people left, Will had to resist the urge to get out and tell them he wasn’t dead. But he couldn’t, so instead he followed Derek to the boat and they took some algae and stained the boat with a sentence saying, “How dare you?” before going back to the beach.

Some people were still there, including Chris, one of Will’s closest friends. Will had lost contact with him since Chris moved back to California after getting married. He looked so sad, Will felt bad. He asked Derek if he could at least tell Chris he was still alive. Derek agreed, so he helped Will catch Chris’ attention. Once the boy walked closer to the water and the other mourners were gone, Will came out of the water.

“Hey, Chowder,” Will said, smiling at him a little.

“Dex!? Oh my God!!! Is that really you?” Chris asked back.

“Yeah, I felt bad, so I decided to tell you that I’m not dead,” Will said.

“But then why didn’t you come back?” Chris asked again.

“Because I turned into a merman. I live in the sea now, with my boyfriend,” he said, standing out of the water and signaling to Derek to come join him. “Chowder, this is my boyfriend, Derek. Derek, this is Chris.”

Derek smiled and shook Chris’ hand. Chris looked like he was really excited all of a sudden.

“I’m so happy you’re alright! And you look happy, and that’s so great! I guess you don’t want me to tell anyone?” Chris asked.

“Yeah. Anyway, it’s not like people would believe you. I just felt bad that we lost contact. I couldn’t let you believe I was dead,” Will said.

“Thanks, I’m glad you decided to tell me. I hope you and Derek have a great life together! You guys should totally come visit me in Cali if you can!” Chris said, smiling.

“Hey, since you live underwater, does that mean you swim with sharks??” he asked.

“I haven’t seen many sharks, but I guess?” Will chuckled.

They talked for a little while before Chris had to go. Will and Derek dove back to the bottom of the sea. Derek thought Chris was a cool guy and was glad Will had decided to tell him he was still alive. He had no idea where or what Cali was, but he was pretty sure they should go there someday. Once they were home, Will went to help in the kitchen, wanting to learn as many recipes as possible. Meanwhile, Derek was doing some cleaning in his bedroom; getting rid of the giant shell and rubbing off the algae that tends to grow on the walls in mermaid homes.

When he joined them back in the kitchen, Derek was hit by the scene. Everything looked so… domestic. And that’s when he realized he wanted to spend his life with Will. He could see himself getting married and maybe even having children with him, which wasn’t something he had thought about with anyone before. He went to hug Will from behind in this sudden urge of affection. Will chuckled, putting down his knife to hold his hands.

“There you are. Done cleaning?” Will asked.

“Yeah. What are you making?” he asked back, kissing his cheek.

“Lobster — your mom told me it was your favorite,” Will said.

Derek blushed. Lobsters weren’t really his favorite, but since he met Will, he started eating them a lot; they reminded him of Will. He nodded, knowing his mother was right beside them, and let Will finish what he was doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find my drawing of mermen Derek and Will [here!](http://dazeli.tumblr.com/post/141868448169/mermen-derek-and-will-from-my-fic-that-you-can)


	4. Just to be with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter there is what could be considered mpreg, but mermaids in this have both reproductive organs and they are not mammals, so they lay their eggs once they are fertilized (so they are technically not pregnant). It's not unnatural like mpreg usually is, because I wouldn't have written it otherwise. So I hope this doesn't scare anyone away and that people will enjoy despite that small detail.

Months later, Derek and Will had fallen into a comfortable routine; in the morning, Derek would go to work with one of his moms, because soon enough, they would retire to leave him in their place. Meanwhile, Will would help with the daily chores and go to the market with Derek’s other mom to get everything they needed. Derek’s mothers took a great liking to Will. The boy was hard working and nothing but respectful and sweet. They loved the fact he could soon become their son in law.

Which was why they kept asking Derek when he was thinking of proposing to Will. Derek keep telling them it was too soon, that he and Will needed to spend more time together, but they could tell the boys were just begging to get married already. Derek wanted to give Will time to get used to his new life and to see if things could really work out between them. It definitely would — Derek had already made up his mind that Will would be his lover for life.

When he felt Will was really going to stay with him forever, Derek made, with the help of his mothers, jewelry from pearls and sea shells. It was tradition to offer them to your lover when asking to marry them. Of course, Derek decided he wanted to take a few liberties; he went to steal a fishnet from a boat and went to get his hands on gold necklaces, bracelets, and other pieces of metal and made the chains, making sure they weren’t too heavy. Once he was finished, he put them away in an empty shell big enough for the four bracelets and one necklace.

He went to hide the shell by the pier where they first meet, and the day after, he went there with Will. As they watched the sunset, he got the shell, and gave it to Will. Will opened it, and his face lit up.

“Will you marry me?” Derek asked him.

“Yes, of course.” Will smiled as he went to kiss him.

Derek helped him put on the jewelry, and Will looked breathtaking. He smiled as he kissed Will again.

“You look gorgeous,” Derek said to him.

“Am I a prince now?” Will chuckled.

“Yeah, and you’re my prince,” Derek replied, holding his hand.

Once the sun set, they went back to Derek’s home and announced their engagement to his mothers. They were thrilled and told them they would help them find a home and move in. They seemed very excited about it, because a few days later, they were visiting various alcoves. Will fell in love with one that gave them a good look at the city from above, but he loved it best for the window.

It was a big, round window taken from a sunken cruise ship. The alcove used to be filled with water, and the previous owners blocked the hole with the window to turn it into a home. Since it was higher, they got more natural light, which reminded Will of the surface. It made him feel less homesick, because even if he was perfectly happy with Derek, he still missed his home sometimes.

Derek’s mothers loved the place for another reason, though.

“There’s even an extra bedroom! How great!” one of them said.

“I don’t see why we would need another bedroom, though,” Will said, confused.

“For the kids, of course!” the other replied.

Will blushed. He had never thought about kids before — it seemed too far away in his head. Ever since he came out as gay, he had never considered possibly having them. Now that he thought about it, that was definitely a possibility. He loved kids, and he knew Derek did too. However, he had no idea how mermaid adoptions worked if they existed. He’d have to ask Derek, but it could wait until after their wedding.

“Maybe,” Will shrugged.

They moved into the house; Once they had their little place to call theirs and they were settled in, they started preparing for the wedding. Will had no idea what a mermaid wedding was like, so he left the preparations to Derek while one of his fiancé’s moms explained everything he had to know. A few week later, it was their wedding day.

Now things were a lot different than what Will remembered about human weddings.

First, they both wore very specific jewels. The wedding was happening at the city center and everyone was invited, especially since Derek was of a noble family. There were no priests, and he learned that usually, it’s the parents of the two mermaids who declare them spouses, but since Will didn’t have any parents under the sea, they got a city official to do it. Once they were declared husbands, they kissed and were free to leave and go back to their home. There were no receptions and long speeches, and Will liked that fact.

Once they arrived home, Derek showed him how mermaid sex worked. Will learned about them having both sets of reproductive organs and how mermaids had safe sex to avoid unwanted reproduction. It was more complicated than Will had thought, but in the end it turned out to be great.

For their honeymoon, they went to California to meet up with Chris and enjoy the warm water of the Pacific. They traveled from mermaid town to mermaid town until they made it to the underwater city closest to California. Chris was very excited about them getting married and congratulated them. Chris also announced to them that he and his wife were having a kid. Will and Derek congratulated them, and later, when they were back in their guest room, they decided to talk about it.

“So, kids…” Derek started.

“I’m not against the idea, but I don’t know how it work. I guess since we have both reproductive systems, we could decide to have one whenever…” Will said.

“Yeah, well, I’d like to have kids with you.” Derek smiled.

“Me too, but I’m afraid it’s a little bit too soon. We haven’t even been together for a year, and we just got married… I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet,” Will admitted.

“Just tell me whenever you’re ready, then. I can wait,” Derek replied.

“Thank you,” Will said, smiling.

-*-

Years later, they had been living their lives; Derek’s mothers retired, so Derek took her place. Meanwhile, Will was doing the usual and visited his new friends. They were actually Derek’s friends, but they quickly accepted him as one of the group. They reminded him of his old friends from college, and he was happy whenever he met them around town.

But now that they had been together for a longer period of time, Will really started thinking about having kids. He was old enough, married, and still deeply in love with his husband. Really, he had always wanted a kid, so he made his decision. When Derek came home, he decided to tell him.

“Derek?” He asked.

“Yes, honey?” Derek asked back.

“I thought I’d let you know I want a kid,” Will told him.

Derek smiled widely and kissed him, obviously happy by the news. Before they did anything, they needed to decide whose eggs they were going to use, set up the child’s room, and plan in other ways. Surprisingly, Will decided they should use his eggs and was more than happy help set up a nest for their little one. If anything, Derek could say he was pretty invested in the whole process. It took a few weeks to set up everything, and when they finally finished, they announced the news to Derek’s mothers.

The way mermaids reproduce started pretty much like humans; they had sex, and once one of the eggs of one of the partner was fertilized, the egg stayed in the body until it’s fully formed. It was much smaller than a regular human baby, and the egg came out of the body about a month later, with no effort at all. Then, all they had to do was keep the egg warm and wet until it finished growing and hatched.

And of course, Will took extremely good care of the egg. Derek wasn’t allowed to touch it, because by now Will knew how clumsy Derek was. There was no way he was letting Derek hold the egg containing their baby that would most definitely die if he dropped it. Derek didn’t mind it too much — he found it endearing how protective Will was of their child.

When the egg started to hatch, Will was alone with one of Derek’s moms. He quickly got to the egg, and Derek’s mother left to go get the other father. When they arrived, the egg had just finished hatching. Will was now cleaning their baby. The baby apparently had dominant female genes. Derek was so glad she had inherited Will’s hair and eyes, because to him they were the most beautiful thing in the world after Will himself.

“She’s beautiful,” he said, going to stand next to him.

“How do you know she has dominant female genes?” Will asked.

“Mermaids with dominant female genes have different patterns than those with dominant male genes,” he explained.

“I see. What name did we choose again?” Will asked.

“I think it was Sappho,” Derek replied.

“Sappho… It’s nice, yeah. It seems fitting,” Will said, holding their daughter.

“I’m so happy,” Derek told him.

“Yeah, me too,” Will smiled.

Derek’s mothers soon joined them, wanting to see their granddaughter, and they were so happy. They showered them in presents for the baby and helped teach them how to take care of her. That night they celebrated over a nice meal. When they put the baby to bed and returned to their bedroom, Will and Derek cuddled close, happy and content, before falling asleep.

They had never been so happy.

-*-

Sappho turned out to be a very adventurous little mermaid. Will often had to hold her so she wouldn’t swim away from them. She loved to swim around and explore, and sometimes they had a hard time following her. However, now that she could swim, they brought her to visit Chris, who now brought his own kid, named Katrina. Sappho and Katrina quickly became friends, and Chris was so glad they got along.

Back home, Will loved to go out with Sappho. She was still too young to go to mermaid school, since it started around ten years old. He taught her about the surface world and told her that this was where he was from. She was completely in awe, not believing that one of her fathers used to be a human.

One day he was bringing Sappho to the surface again, this time with Derek, because they were going to watch the sunset. Will saw his parents standing on the shore. They looked sad, and that’s when Will remembered that this was technically the day he died. His parents had apparently always cared about him, even after he came out.

He decided to get out of the water and tell them he was still alive.

At first, they couldn’t believe he was still alive, and they believed even less that he was a merman. His mother recognized her baby, though, and she broke down in tears as she went to hug her son who she thought was dead. Will also took the opportunity to introduce them to Derek and Sappho. Will’s mom found Sappho to be absolutely adorable and Derek charming, and Will’s dad could only agree.

Will told them the story from the beginning of how everything came to be. It sounded like a fairy tale, and his parents simply couldn’t believe it, but they had to; they had the evidence right in front of them. Will also told them he watched his own funeral, and his mother told him that they hadn’t talked to his uncle since because he believed they vandalised his boat. Will and Derek admitted to doing it and also cutting some of the important ropes just to piss him off. They laughed it off, agreeing he had deserved it, before Sappho demanded attention from her newfound grandparents. Will’s mother picked her up, and Sappho started to tell her all sort of stories.

When they returned home, Will felt incredibly light and happy. Meeting with his parents again and being able to tell them he was alive, while also telling him all the many things he had wanted to tell them since that day he saw them cry at his funeral, made him feel like a weight had been lifted from his heart. Every problem in Will’s life was solved now, and he felt completely relaxed and content about his life.

Derek noticed and was also very happy for his husband. Maybe one day their parents would meet each other. Derek was also glad he got to meet Will’s parents. They were nice, and Sappho was just so happy to finally meet her other grandparents. He was happy that Will had reunited with his parents. Will looked much more happy now, and Derek liked to see him happy. It was his main goal.

Will’s and Sappho’s happiness was the thing that mattered most to him, really. They both meant so much to him, he would give up anything for them. He never felt happier than when he was with them. Sappho was adorable and made Will just as happy, because it gave him a family again. And so that was why, soon after, Will and Derek decided to have another kid. Sappho being around three years old seemed like a good age gap and besides, Sappho always said how she would like to have a sibling.

This time around, they were able to tell Will’s parents about the upcoming baby and they were thrilled, especially Will’s mother who simply loved Sappho to death, calling her little princess and spoiling her whenever Will visited the surface. When the new baby was born, they named him Euclid, and Sappho was so happy to meet her little brother, she was running around trying to help Will as best she could and she was uterly adorable. Derek’s moms were so happy for them and so were Will’s parents; they got showered in baby gifts, although most of the ones from the surface where unusable, they still meant a lot to Will.

Eventually, their parents also meet, and they got along surprisingly well. They asked each other questions and exchanged baby stories about their sons, much to Will and Derek’s embarassement. But Will was just glad his parents accepted him and his husband, really.

Both Will and Derek believed they had found happiness together, and both were glad about the respective decision they had made over the years; with not one single ounce of regret in their minds.


End file.
